History

1941 – Present

1941 The Civil Air Patrol is founded as a civilian auxiliary to the U.S. Army Air Corp a few days prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

1941-44 CAP establishes Coastal Patrol Base 12, first in Brownsville and later in San Benito. Base 12 CAP volunteer pilots fly over 30,000 hours of patrol missions along the South Texas coast looking for German U-Boats and helping to secure the nations border.

1942 Mary Astor, a prominent Hollywood actress best known for her role in “The Maltese Falcon” and for winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “The Great Lie.” After joining CAP in Los Angeles, she helped set up the operations center at Coastal Patrol Base 12 in Brownsville, Texas.

1942 Henry King Jr., a noted Hollywood director from 1915-1961, helming such movies as “The Song of Bernadette,” “Twelve O’Clock High,” “Carousel” and “The Sun Also Rises.” He was one of the 36 founders of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. King served as deputy commander of Coastal Patrol Base 12, holding the grade of captain. In his final years, he was the oldest licensed private pilot in the United States.

1942 Les Mauldin was an early manager of the Brownsville Municipal Airport. He was appointed the Group Commander of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Bases.

1957 The Brownsville Composite Squadron is established at the Brownville/ South Padre Island International Airport.

1971 The squadron receives its second Unit Citation Award for outstanding service to Texas Wing.

1987 Search and Rescue mission: In a rare incident, the Mexican Government asks for American assistance in locating a missing aircraft.

1988 Search and Rescue mission: Unit finds the wreckage of a missing plane in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.

1994 Four Brownsville Squadron members fly to Los Angeles to work with 2,000 other C.A.P. members on earthquake relief. Their 9.4 hour flight is believed to be the longest by any C.A.P. aircraft taking part in this humanitarian mission.

1995 Search and Rescue mission: Search for an aircraft that disappeared. Aircraft was found.

1996 Search and Rescue mission: Search for an aircraft that disappeared. Aircraft was found.

1998 Search and Rescue mission: Assist in the location of the Valley Air Care helicopter which crashed north of Edinburg, TX. Due to record heat and drought, the unit is utilized for aerial search for distressed illegal immigrants in the King Ranch area; air crews fly dozens of sorties and locate several distressed individuals.

2001 Seven non-distress distress rescue beacons in ships and aircraft were located and deactivated.
In response to the September 11 attacks, CAP begins supporting missions for the new Department of Homeland Security.

2002 The Brownsville Squadron flies several homeland security missions, including flying over the Gulf of Mexico transmitted aerial images of a simulated oil spill cleanup operations in a unique U.S.-Mexican exercise. A U.S. Coast Guard report said these images greatly contributed to real assessment of operations.

2003 Cadet Commander Rudy Noriega is awarded a scholarship to a CAP Flight Academy at Waco, where he soloed. He later joins the US Navy and is currently serving on the life support ground crew for the US Navy Blue Angels.

2004 Cadet Robert Basaldu was selected to go to the United Kingdom on the International Air Cadet Exchange. Cadet Basaldu earns CAP’s highest cadet award, the Carl A. Spaatz Award.

2006 Search and Rescue mission – A ground team and mission support staff drove and aircrews flew 200 miles to Carrizo Springs to search for a lost aircraft that was found in Mexico.

2007 Brownsville Composite Squadron established a week long, winter, Search and Rescue School. The Texas Wing Ground Team School started on Decemeber 26, 2007.

2007 At a state-wide ground search and rescue competition near San Antonio, the squadrons ground team’s won first, third and fourth awards.
The Brownville ground teams earn the number one rank in the state.
The squadron develops and operates the Texas Wing Winter Ground Team School.

2008 Search and Rescue mission – ground search team leads a search effort in Giddings, TX for a missing aircraft. The unit’s ground team traveled over 400 miles to participate in the mission to locate the aircraft.

2009 Search and Rescue mission – Provides mission staff for a search for a missing plane lost in Mexico. Ground team locates a missing plane in Port Mansfield, TX.

2009 Brownsville ground teams were awarded the Best Ground Team in the Nation by CAP Headquarters.

2010 Brownsville Composite Squadron awarded Squadron of the Year, Cadet of the Year, Senior of Year for it accomplishments for 2009.

2010 The Texas Wing Ground Team School incporates the LoneStar Emergency Service Academy (LESA) into the school and becomes LESA South.

2010 Brownvsille Composite Squadron is granted a 5 acre site at the the Brownsville airport for a new training site.

2011 Texas Wing Groups are reorganized and the Brownsville Composite Squadron becomes part of the new Group VII.

2015 April 7, Lt. Col. Juan Arredondo relinquish command of the Brownsville Composite Squadron to Capt. Robert Hofmann. Lt Col. Arredondo outstandingly served as commander since June of 2011.

2015 April 19, Lt. Col. Sean Crandall relinguish command of Group VII after the establishment of the newly formed Group VII in June of 2011. Lt. Col. Arredondo is sworn in as commander of Group VII, and Lt. Col. Sean Crandall is sworn in as the Texas Wing Vice Commander.